Table’s vision for men’s shelter nearing reality

HUNTSVILLE – A men’s shelter may become part of Huntsville in the near future.
Alan Paton, former board member for the Table Soup Kitchen Foundation, said at a Rotary Club of Huntsville Lake of Bays meeting on Jan. 17 that plans for a new food bank and men’s shelter complex off Hanes Street in downtown Huntsville are well underway.
“There was always a vision of having our own building where we could operate a food bank, soup kitchen, café, maybe a bookstore and have it all in the same building. And then add to it a men’s shelter,” said Paton.
He said it was all the vision of Huntsville resident Heather Berg, who saw the need not only for additional food bank and soup kitchen services in the community, but for a men’s shelter as well.
The Table Soup Kitchen Foundation, launched in 2005, has a faith-based mission to help people, whether through providing food or social connection. It aims to do this with the help of area churches, sponsors, donations and volunteers.
Paton said the foundation’s work started with the soup kitchen. Attendance at the twice-weekly dinners has grown to an average of 70 guests per night and draws people from a variety of social circumstances.
“The goal was to try and make sure we created an environment that didn’t have the stereotype of a soup kitchen where you had to be down and out to show up,” he said. “We wanted the invitation to go to people who needed a helping hand, or maybe just fellowship.”
Seniors, teens, children and adults attend the dinners. Last year, volunteers helped serve about 6,000 guests. About 5,000 were adults and 1,500 were children.
Some volunteers not only help with the dinner, but lend an ear to guests, who may need to talk with someone.
“You hear all kinds of stories and there are often opportunities to help that come out of that,” said Paton.
He told an anecdote about a young man who had left home after an argument and found himself living out of his car. Paton said he was able to use a network of contacts to find the man a series of temporary accommodations.
“It’s an example of the need for a men’s shelter in Huntsville,” said Paton.
The food bank is a service with high demand, too.
Paton said the food bank had about 10,000 visits last year. It served not only Huntsville residents, but people from about 23 towns and villages in the surrounding area, too.
“You would not know the need in Huntsville – our affluent community – until you see some of the numbers and stats,” he said. “We all take having something to eat for granted, I think, but it’s just not the case for a lot of people.”
He said people who use the food bank have to register before they can use the service and volunteers monitor how much food is taken and how often.
“It’s monitored, but we’re pretty open to people abusing us if they want to. We’re not stingy with the food,” he said. “If there is a need, we don’t ask questions. We’ve taken some heat over that, too. But that’s been our policy.”
The need and support for the foundation have grown to the point where it can seek a new location where it will house the food bank and the new men’s shelter. The soup kitchens will continue at their St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and Trinity United Church locations.
The new food bank and shelter location, said Paton, will contribute to the long-term viability of the foundation and its activities.
Renovation of the new location are expected to begin this month with the opening of the new food bank doors tentatively set for Feb. 1. Renovation for the men’s shelter will follow.
The shelter is expected to have 10 to 12 short-term beds. The foundation is gaining expertise by working with a group in Orangeville, Ont., that is operating a men’s shelter there. The shelter will also have an experienced resident-manager for the shelter, said Paton.
No firm completion date for either project has been confirmed, but the foundation will be looking for volunteers to help with the projects, he noted.
Paton added that the town has been supportive of the project.
Chris Marshall, director of planning and sustainability for the town, said the property for the proposed shelter-food bank meets the zoning requirements for such a complex.
Zoned for general commercial use, the property would allow for a residential care facility of some kind.
“A residential care facility is an establishment providing supervised or supportive in-house care for those who need assistance with daily living,” said Marshall.
He noted assistance may include counselling and personal services.
Marshall also said the town’s Unity Plan committee, which previously dealt with community sustainability initiatives, had identified the need for a men’s shelter in the community.
“We were supported in the sense that it met the requirements of the zoning and both the food bank and the shelter are part of the social side of sustainability,” he said.